Nicolas Bulteau and
Marie-Antoinette Lériger.

Nicolas was born in Ville de Québec on 16 April 1733, the youngest of four children. In his baptism record his name is given as Nicolas Stanislas, though the second name is not used in later records.

He married Marie-Antoinette Lériger dit LaPlante on 18 April 1757 in LaPrairie, in the midst of the French and Indian War that raged between France and England. He was 24 and she was the 19-year-old daughter of Pierre Lériger dit LaPlante and Marie-Louise Hubert dit LaCroix. In the marriage record, Nicolas Bulteau was said to "guard the magazines of the King". Gunpowder and ammunition was stored in a protected room within a fort which was called a magazine.

Naming Conventions.

The dit name is a sort of "also known as" moniker that may help differentiate individuals with the same name, or provide a clue as to family origin or profession. It was often used by men in the military or among the nobility, and was passed on to their children. Individuals may variously be found in records with both names, or one name or the other. French women retained their birth names after marriage; children took their father's surname. This practice continued until the mid-1800's when women bent to the English custom of adopting the surname of their husband.

Nicolas and Antoinette had six children: Marie-Charlotte (1758), Marie-Louise (1759), our ancestor Marie-Josephte on 12 February 1761 in LaPrairie, François (1767), Marie-Antoinette (about 1771) and Nicolas (1773). In keeping with the tradition of their Catholic faith, the girls were given the first name of Marie to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary. The second name, the one they used, was often that of their godparent, or perhaps a family member.

Capitulation.

The family saw the fall of Montréal on 8 September 1760 and within three years they came under British rule. Per the Paris Treaty, the French had until August 1764 to sell their property and return to France, though the British merchants often paid cutthroat prices. Those born in the colony, Canadians like Nicolas and Antoinette, invariably opted to stay. But there were changes: Catholics were banned from holding any administrative post and British goods soon replaced French items in the markets as the French merchants evacuated.

One of Nicolas' last acts in the service of the King of France would be to inventory the stores of ammunition in compliance with the Articles of Capitulation and turn the weapons over to the British.

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Nicolas died 20 April 1800 in LaPrairie, while Marie-Antoinette passed on 15 February 1814.